Ignition Coil Gapping

[sgkent]

are you the original owner of the engine?

 

[Whalensdad]

I wish I was. Then I'd know the history. I purchased the lawn tractor last year.

 

[StarTech]

I think I see the problem. I thinking it is one of the CV16-FHP engines which uses the 12 584 17-S coil which looks very much like the Tecumseh coil in my previous post. Notice the distance in where the mounting holes are when compare to the one you currently have on the engine.

Also here is an image of CV460 that uses the 12 584 04-S coil.Notice the flywheel magnets are mounted differently than the one you have. It is right inline the ring gear teeth tips. Your flywheel has it recessed.


One other problem is that is a DSAI coil that requires 12V lead along with the normal grounding kill lead. So it looks someone did a make shift conversion to the Tecumseh coil.

 

[StarTech]

Also with patience the high tension lead can be replaced completely but with the after market version being only $27 from Amazon it is just a lot easier to replace it.

But I thinking the 32 584 06-S CDI coil might work as its width matches the Tecumseh coil width and mounting holes seem to be in the right places. Note this is just a guess as it from the newer engines so timing will probably be off.

 

[Whalensdad]

I think I see the problem. I thinking it is one of the CV16-FHP engines which uses the 12 584 17-S coil which looks very much like the Tecumseh coil in my previous post. Notice the distance in where the mounting holes are when compare to the one you currently have on the engine.

Also here is an image of CV460 that uses the 12 584 04-S coil.Notice the flywheel magnets are mounted differently than the one you have. It is right inline the ring gear teeth tips. Your flywheel has it recessed.
View attachment 62624

Very interesting as that was not what Kohler listed as an engine option. They could have been very wrong. I don't remember the exhaust looking the way the parts diagrams show (I can't look right now). I see what you mean by the flywheel teeth and the magnet mounting. The coil that came out though was a Tecumsah based on the part number on it. I'm thinking that somewhere in the past, someone couldn't figure out what coil to use since they didn't know what engine they had and found the Tecumsah the closest in appearance. Which brings me to this question:
Should I:
1. Get another Tecumsah coil
2. Try the coil you suggested, not knowing whether it will work
3. Redrill the Kohler coil so it fits

Also, I noticed the parts lists talk about DSAI. My engine had what was listed as #23 in the following diagram(https://www.jackssmallengines.com/j...hp-16-hp-11-9-kw/ignition-electrical-5-27-174) but didn't have #9. I assumed that #23 was the rectifier, which I just swapped out with #9. When I say I had part #23, it was the square thing in the drawing (not the part shown for 23)

 

[StarTech]

Hmmm. Apparently someone did a rig job on the engine. You might need to get a local Kohler tech involved on straightening out the mess.

 

[Whalensdad]

Hmmm. Apparently someone did a rig job on the engine. You might need to get a local Kohler tech involved on straightening out the mess.

The places I called wouldn't touch it since they couldn't identify the engine. So I'm on my own here. I think I'll drill out the Kohler coil I have to see if I can make it work. If not I'll just get another Tecumsah coil, since it was working with it. This whole process started when I found that my battery wasn't charging, which uncovered a mouse nest under the blower cover. From there I found chewed through wires (including damage to the coil wire). Thanks for the suggestions, and any other insight you may have.

 

[VegetiveSteam]

The 12 584 04-S is the correct module for CV11 thru CV15 and there is no other. Kohler has used that module for 20 plus years. Are your incorrect replacements genuine Kohler parts? It is possible to mount the module wrong side out but it still fits the same and you can set the proper gap but it won't fire. If it does fire it fires very weak. What ever you are trying to put on is obviously not correct. With the screws loose that module should be able to go right against the magnets.

 

[Whalensdad]

The 12 584 04-S is the correct module for CV11 thru CV15 and there is no other. Kohler has used that module for 20 plus years. Are your incorrect replacements genuine Kohler parts? It is possible to mount the module wrong side out but it still fits the same and you can set the proper gap but it won't fire. If it does fire it fires very weak. What ever you are trying to put on is obviously not correct. With the screws loose that module should be able to go right against the magnets.

My engine is missing the label plate. When I contacted Kohler, they guessed what I had based on the part numbers I could find on some of the components. I think StarTech was correct in that he thinks I have a CV-16. This is based on that the coil most resembles the techumsah coil that was previously installed, that the parts diagram shows item #23 (https://www.jackssmallengines.com/j...hp-16-hp-11-9-kw/ignition-electrical-5-27-174) which my unit had, but the CV13 thru 15 did not. The unit wasn't wired with the extra 12v going to the coil, which is probably why they used the Tecumsah coil.

 

[VegetiveSteam]

Doesn't matter. CV15 or CV16 the blocks are the same so the 12 584 04-S will mount regardless. It might not run right but the coil will still mount, it would just be out of time. It would probably seem to run fine until you got it under a load. It would then be low on power. The CV16 was just a CV15 with a variable timed ignition module and the keyway cut in a different spot on the flywheel. Are you using genuine Kohler parts?